Crimson Roses
by Kaku the Storyteller
Summary: Crimson Rose is a fan-fiction that takes place in the Attack on Titan world. It does not interfere with the story, so it can be thought of as a sort of side event. This story is about Adam, a boy who grew up in the world of Titans. It follows his life in the Garrison, and how he and others deal with the challenges of a dangerous world where ravenous Titans are not the only danger.
1. Chapter 1

_The crimson petals swayed in the gentle wind. Being this high up, there was always a slight breeze. The tan jacket kept him warm enough. He had always found it to be strangely serene up here, away from it all. But today he didn't feel at peace. As he stared down at the rose in his hands, his legs hanging off the side off the wall, he couldn't help but remember. Things were so much different back then. He looked up at the blue sky, then down towards the rose. Heights used to scare him, as so many other things did. The Garrison member's gaze moved up towards the forest in the distance as the petals that were so desperately clinging to the flower finally gave in, and drifted with the wind off into the air, to float down slowly towards the ground. Heights are nothing to be afraid of. The nervousness he felt now was nothing. Nothing to what he had felt before._

"Why do we always have to come so far out here? Let's get home, supper has got to be soon." he grumbled as he kicked up the grass, throwing dirt into the air.

"Wait….. I'm almost done."

"Come on! I'm so booored!" Adam pouted, falling to the ground on his back. He looked up at the cool blue sky. The grass felt warmed from the sun, although the breeze made him a bit chilly. This was one of the few fields within the walls that was open, with no buildings around to block the wind.

"There!" she whispered triumphantly, picking the final colorful flower and adding it to the collection. She knelt down next to Adam and proudly showed him the bouquet. "Aren't they pretty?"

Adam sighed, and tried to show that his disinterest in something as unmanly as flowers.

"They're just flowers. Who cares?"

"Well I do."

Adam rose up, clasping his arms around his knees. He looked at his big sister holding the colorful collection. She was much like him, with brown hair and eyes the color of the boundless blue sky. Her hair fell down on her neck, she hated keeping it tied up. It had been a while since he had a proper haircut, so his hair was quite messy, much like his clothes. "What are the yellow ones called again?" he asked finally.

"Oh, so you do care?"

"N-no! I'm just being nice."

Elisabeth giggled. "Those are called daisies. The white ones are a type of orchid, and the pink ones carnations, and the red ones are called-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Like I said I was just being nice. Let's go home now Sis."

"Alright, Dad is probably worrying. Anyway, the red ones are roses," she said, as she pushed the flower stem into her hair.

The walk home through town was peaceful enough. The stone road had smoothened from constant use over a hundred years, and it cut straight through the town. Elisabeth led the way as Adam followed close behind, staring up at the sky. As they continued along the road, the buildings began to grow closer together. The outskirts of the city of Shiganshina was not as lively and constantly moving as the cities closer to the capital, but rather peaceful. There wasn't much excitement to be seen within their town, save for the occasional returns of the Survey Corps that entered through the gates every now and again. As they followed the road back to their familiar street they saw such a group returning to town. The soldiers all marched in line, many on horseback. However, this was in no way a parade. There was no grandeur, no display of pride like that of the Military Police. These men and women were battered, broken, and tired. As they came closer, Elisabeth could see the pained faces of the soldiers. Few seemed to be wearing the brave face that she had seen the groups leave with. Some had a familiar expression to her; blank and unemotive as the face of a doll. She then saw a cart, with a cloak obscuring its contents. Elisabeth had seen this before. She grabbed Adam's hand, and moved quickly towards their home when the path was cleared.

Elisabeth walked through the wooden door, creating a familiar creaking noise as it's red coat of paint brushed up against a loose floorboard. She put the flowers down on the wooden table as Adam followed her inside. The room was small and simple, lit by a single window. It contained only the essentials, but was clean and tidy. The table in the center had three small bowls arranged, and a pot of soup in the middle. Elisabeth walked over to the window and closed the shutters, blocking out the persistent breeze. Adam eagerly took a seat, and grabbed the serving ladle. She glanced at him, and he reluctantly put it back down. They both heard a familiar knocking against the ground. Adam looked down the hall, toward the bedrooms. The man looked aged beyond his actual years, with dark brown hair that faded into gray. His eyes were tired and dull, framed by an old pair of glasses. His clothing was formal, but the colors faded from years of use. The man shuffled forward next to the table, placing his weight on the crutch with every step. He stared down at the bowls, and then at the bouquet that layed next to them.

"Flowers?" he finally said, quietly but clearly.

"For Mother," Elisabeth replied.

Their father sat down next to his children, concealing a grimace. He reached over and picked up the ladle, and scooped the soup into the wooden bowls.

"What kind is it?" Adam asked, disappointed with his share.

"Potato. Eat up, you're still growing- or, at least you should be," his father replied with a smile.

"Hey! Give me some time, I'll be taller than Sis and you in a few years!" Adam insisted.

Elisabeth and Father chuckled. This was true, Adam seemed to be a little taller every week. In a couple years time he would be a man. Elisabeth glanced at her brother, and then at her Father, wondering if Adam would look like his father in a similar way of her mother and her.

"So… uh, Father. Today one of the Garrison troops brought me to the top of the wall. I could see the entire town from up there!" Elisabeth said excitedly.

"Is that so?"

"Wait Sis, you went up on the walls?" Adam asked between mouthfulls of potato soup.

"Yeah. It's awesome! Hey, maybe next time you can come up with us too! You can see for miles!"

"Heh… uh… no thanks Sis. I'm okay down here, on the ground,"

Elisabeth looked at him and giggled. She put her hand on his head and messed his hair. "Oh! I forgot you're afraid of heights"

"Wha-? No! It's just… I'm not sure that I… uh,"

"It's okay to admit when you feel fear Adam" Father said, in his low and seemingly all knowing voice. "Admitting you are afraid is the first step to conquering that fear. Nobody can judge you for that."

"Then why are you grinning?!" Adam cried angrily.

"Anyway Father, I've been thinking about it again. I was up there, up on the wall because... I was talking to the troops who are looking for new-"

"No."

"But Father! This could help us! The troopers and paid and fed better, their families too! You know that we need this, you know that its hard for you to work!"

"Watch yourself... I will not let you join up with those… morons. It is too dangerous! Do you expect me to just let you do that?"

"Father, I can make this decision. I will be fine, you know I can take care of myself. Only the Survey Corps actually see any real combat, and I wouldn't even want to leave you and Adam alone to go on scouting missions," Elisabeth argued, choosing her words more carefully now.

"The training alone can kill you! I will not let that happen! I will not lose you too!" Father said as he slammed his fist onto the table, spilling his small wooden bowl and sending its meager contents flying.

Elisabeth stood up defiantly. "I can help us." She grabbed the bouquet off of the table, saving it from the growing puddle of soup.

"Look... Elisabeth... please-"

"I'm… I'm going to bring these to Mom," Elisabeth said, as she walked away from her father and out the small red wooden door.

Elisabeth walked down the stone street holding the flowers, her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. He was so stubborn. He couldn't accept that by joining the Garrison she would be infinitely more helpful to her family. As she walked through the town, she glanced up to see troops walking the other way, their tan jackets proudly showing the Garrison's insignia. She couldn't do anything the way she was now. If she could learn how to protect Adam, to protect her father, she wouldn't lose anyone ever again. She would be stronger.

For Shiganshina, the town was lively today. Street vendors cried out the prices of their wares, and everyone seemed to be out and about. Elisabeth's neighbors yelled cheery greetings from their windows, and she forced a polite smile back. As she walked away from that familiar street, away from the buildings that huddled close together, she heard a shout.

"Elisabeth! Hey! Wait up!"

She glanced back at her brother Adam, who was barreling after her.

"Why did you just run out the door like that?" he questioned, pausing for a breath.

Elisabeth sighed, and held the bouquet closer to her face. The flowers smelled so sweet.

"Come on, we are almost there. You know the way," she said.

They followed a worn path to the location. Set away from the town, it seemed like its own world, separate from everything else. As they walked up to it, the stone seemed weathered and worn. The two siblings knelt down, putting the flowers against the cracks that had smoothened over time.

"I can't believe it has already been four years," Elisabeth whispered. She glanced over at Adam. She remembered when Father told him what happened. He didn't accept it at first, just looked blankly into the sky. He spent days walking around the house, as if he was searching. Even now Elisabeth felt he fully didn't understand. Adam was visibly upset just by the stones presence, fighting back tears. He didn't want her to see him cry. He was like that now, pretending to be strong. Like she had been. Like she still was.

Elisabeth often made the trip alone, as her father had a difficult time walking all the way out here with his crutch, and Adam seemed to want to just forget. The gentle breeze pulled some of the petals off the bouquet, and into the air. She herself found difficulty in this monthly ritual, although she felt obligated to make it in place of her father. She remembered him that day too. He had already seemed to know before they even started explaining to him, it was if something had told him. Maybe he just sensed it. He was broken again that day, and just like his leg he never recovered.

Elisabeth rose up, and tapped Adam on the shoulder. He quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and stood up too. They began to walk away, turning their backs to the stone engraved with Mother's name. Adam looked up at his sister.

"Hey. I think you forgot one," He said, as he pointed at her. She touched her hand to her hair, and felt the crimson rose that was still stuck.

Elisabeth turned to face Adam, and was met with a blank face, as if he was made as the same stone as the grave marker. She looked at him puzzled.

"What's the matter?" She said.

She heard it then, the monstrous cracking sound as if the world was splitting. She turned to face the wall, and saw it. A monstrous hand, red and white as if it had been flayed, grasped the structure as if it were a wooden fence. Smoke rose through the air, and revealed a massive giant's face, skinless and expressionless. Elisabeth tried to turn to Adam once again, but felt herself frozen, as if time had stopped. Everything seemed quiet, even the wind had finally stopped blowing. All she heard was the steady sound of her own heartbeat. Elisabeth couldn't look away, not until she heard another earthshaking noise. The sound of stone cracking.

Elisabeth grabbed Adam's wrist, and began running back to town, as fast a she could. She dragged Adam behind her, he refused to move.

"Adam. Adam! We need to go back to town, now! Come on Adam!"

There was no fear on his face. His pale blue eyes looked as if they were lifeless, they were glass. His face was blank, and stared up not towards the colossal giant but towards the sky. He didn't respond, and stayed still; an unmoving ice sculpture. But, after a few moments he faced Elisabeth with that blank expression and followed close behind. Elisabeth could see in the distance the fracture in the wall, like a crack in a tombstone. Giant, hulking bodies shuffled through, inhuman forms with no rank or file. Elisabeth knew what they were, she had seen them before. Her mind screamed at her to move faster, to make it back to her street, to her home and to her Father.

The peaceful path they had walked minutes before now taunted them. She dragged Adam towards the buildings, and as they grew closer together the buildings felt like walls themselves. When she arrived in that familiar square the inhumane forms were already upon the town. She heard screams and cries, pleas and prayers. Rubble littered the streets: brick, wood, and stone. Elisabeth forced herself to look away from a mutilated body, and covered her brothers eyes. It was crumpled and broken, like a rat trampled by a horse. Adam said nothing, made no noise. His eyes didn't even glance at the rubble, at the chaos, or at the body, they stared straight up. They were still glass.

Over the rooftops she could see their inhumane heads, grinning with their blank, lifeless eyes. Elisabeth ran through the town, searching for her house amongst the turmoil, for the red door. Shiganshina was on fire. A conflagration had enveloped its buildings, ashes falling slowly to the ground. She heard the sound of cannon fire, the slow and steady concussive shots one after another. However loud they were, the screams drowned them out.

As she rounded the corner to her street, she saw it, splintered and broken. Shards of red painted wood littered the street. Her small home shattered, the roof collapsed. She felt a tugging on her arm, and saw Adam sprinting towards it, his face full of fear, his icy shell broken.

"Father...FATHER!" he screamed, "ARE YOU THERE? WHAT IS HAPPENING?"

Elisabeth ran after Adam, peering into their broken home to see any sign of him, any sign of protection.

"FATHER PLEASE!" Adam cried, and ran between the small buildings to the back of the house, "FATHER! FATHER WHAT IS HAPPENING? PLEASE! FA-"

Elisabeth ran after him through the alley, but she lost her footing on the smoothened stones of the street. When she rose up and rounded to the back of the house, she froze in her place. A giant lay obscured by the rubble. Its face resembled that of an old man, a grin stretching from ear to ear. Its eyes looked lazily at Adam, its teeth a crimson red. He stumbled, falling to his knees. Its massive arm rose, and clasped around him. It lifted Adam into the air, and opened its mouth. Elisabeth rushed forward, screaming.

"ADAM!" she cried, desperately, "ADAM!"

She screamed at the monster, screamed at it to release him. It didn't hear her, focused only on the boy who was once again blank. Adam looked up towards the blue sky.

"LET HIM GO!" Elisabeth screamed, and picked up a broken crutch that lay in the scattered rubble. She attacked the giant, stabbing at it with all her strength. Its gaze moved to her, its arm released Adam. He fell to the ground, onto his back. She felt its massive fingers close around her, and she felt herself lift into the air. The crutch was dropped from her hands as she felt the immense pressure of its grip.

"Adam! Adam!" Elisabeth shouted, "Run! Get away now!"

Adam was lifeless. His blue eyes stared up towards the sky. An ice sculpture.

"Adam, please! Run!"

Elisabeth's cries finally broke through. He pulled himself up, and clasped his arms around his knees, frightened.

"Go! GO!"

He rose to his feet, and looked at her desperately. She screamed for him to run, rising higher into the air, the giant's mouth open.  
"I...I can't… I can't leave you! There must be something I can do!"

"Run! Run towards town, the soldiers will protect you! You have to get out of here! You have to go now! Don't be afraid, do-"

Adam fell to his knees once again. A rose floated towards the ground, and landed in his hands. It was soaked in a brilliant crimson red, covering its green leaves. Adam rose to his feet, and obeyed his sister.


	2. Chapter 2

_Fear was something that he had become accustomed too. It had become his state of normalcy. The others were the same. They may have put on brave faces, masking their true feelings, but he knew they felt it too. The petals fell slowly, drifting lazily back and forth. They seemed to just drift away, and that was in someway tragic. He hated remembering. The sky was clear today, no clouds. His gaze once again turned upward. The rose was almost bare, just a few petals stuck to the green stem. He wanted more than anything to toss it off the wall, to rid himself of it forever, no matter how difficult. He couldn't._

He woke up. The sense of panic and dread dissipated as he realized where he was, but the fear still lingered. He still dreamt about it. He had put it to the back of his mind. Forgetting it would remove it from his life, like it never happened. But his dreams refused, they tortured him. He had no control. The small cot was stiff, and it smelled of sweat. He pulled off the thin blanket. It was early, the sun had yet to rise. He knew he would be outside in a few moments, there was no point in falling back to sleep. There was no point to put himself through any more of that agony.

Adam rose out of bed, and slipped on his shirt and uniform. The boots were high, reaching upwards to his knee. The jacket was short, it didn't quite reach his waist, but it had long sleeves and a high collar.

He began to see the others doing the same. Many felt a sense of camaraderie, a sense of union with each other. They had shared some experiences, been through the same horror. He often wondered why the others joined. There was something that had awoken in many of them, a fire. Maybe for revenge, to take back what they had lost. Maybe they wanted to protect their loved ones, or they had a sense of duty, that they wanted to protect all of mankind. A few of them had come from cities that were never attacked, or they had come from the capital. He hated them for it. They didn't need to be here, they didn't need to fight. Why would they just throw themselves into danger like this? It wasn't bravery, it was ignorance. They had never faced real danger, or real tragedy.

The silent veil that covered the room was shattered by a familiar shout. Every recruit stood up, standing tall. As the Officer walked in they placed their right fist over their heart, and their left arm behind their back, the customary salute. The Officer walked through the now standing ranks of soldiers. He was a stern man, tall, with a gray mustache and piercing eyes that seemed to observe all.

As he walked down the ranks, he examined every soldier's uniform to the slightest detail. The Officer would always find some error in every recruit. A uniform collar furled, a sleeve not straight enough, an untucked shirt underneath the tan jacket. A perfect posture was required. Muddied boots had been the downfall of many recruits. He himself had been chastised for his long, messy hair.

The Officer had reached him now. He examined him from head to toe, and stared into his eyes, as if searching them for some sort of error. The Officer stepped forward as if to say something, but after a slight pause stopped himself. The Officer gazed to the left, to the next cot. The slow, steady sound of quiet snoring was audible. The Officer motioned towards Adam and the other trainee in attention to the opposite side of the neighboring cot. They pulled the resting recruit from his bed, and onto the floor. The sleepy soldier let out a yelp, and stared upward first towards Adam, then towards the Officer. He was undressed, and not in uniform.

"It seems Mr. Kiefer prefers not to wear his uniform for our morning training run. I must say, I am thoroughly impressed. To run without boots must mean Mr. Kiefer must be in perfect physical condition. Today he will run the trail twice to demonstrate this, without his uniform, as he seems to prefer."

The Officer spoke in a low, but commanding voice. Leon Kiefer stood up into attention, shaking. Whether he was nervous or simply freezing, Adam could not tell.

"You other recruits need to learn from Mr. Kiefer. You two," the Officer said as he pointed towards Adam and the recruit that had helped him pull poor Leon from his warm cot. "You will be joining him on his second run,"

Leon glanced at the two others apologetically, but Adam looked straight, maintaining his attention.

The run had been hard enough the first time. They sloshed through the mud, pushing through to finish the second lap. They could not stop or falter, or they would be assigned the same task once again. Adam kept up his pace, his eyes focused forwards. Behind him the other unfortunate recruit, a girl with dark brown hair and intense green eyes followed close behind. Adam heard in the distance the heavy panting of Leon, through the sound of his teeth chattering together. He was still in his undershirt, without boots. The Officer had graciously allowed him to put on a pair of pants. He was covered in mud, from his bare feet to his short blond hair, having had fallen twice. The first lap he had spent apologizing to the recruits that shared his punishment, but after a short time their silence answered him.

The sun would be rising soon, and Adam feared that he would miss breakfast, and he needed the strength. Breakfast was the one thing that kept him here. The work was grueling, and the thought of facing those things was something he was not too excited for, but there was food. Then again, this was the only place for him now.

As Adam trudged down the path, his heavy breath turning to mist, he heard a _thunk_. He stopped, and looked over his shoulder. Leon lay on the ground, his chest heaving up and down. The girl had also stopped. Leon tried to push himself up, his hands slipped in the muck. He fell to the ground once again, defeated. The female recruit moved towards Leon, and attempted to pull him up. Adam reluctantly followed, and together they pulled the exhausted and filthy trainee to his feet.

Leon looked at Adam gratefully, and began to open his mouth as if to say an apology, but he did not speak.

"If you give up, we will be assigned another lap," Adam said, as he let go him.

They continued their run, Leon stumbling forward, but keeping pace. He did not fall again.

When they arrived to eat, the others had already finished. Adam received his ration of bread, and sat down at the opposite end of a table near the window, with a clear view of the outside. It was in the corner, well away from the center of the room. The sun had come up, but the blue sky was dotted with grey clouds. It would rain tonight.

He someone approaching, and was faced with the girl who had shared in his punishment. She said nothing, but sat down and ate. Through her dark brown hair she stared at him curiously with those vibrant green eyes. There was something familiar about her, but Adam avoided her gaze. It was better to grow close to others, they would only bring him grief. But still, he felt oddly close to her, perhaps just because they were in a similar situation. No, it was something else.

Adam heard the creaking of another chair, and another newcomer sat at his secluded table. His hair once was again blond, having washed the mud from it. He nervously shifted in his seat, then looked Adam in the eye, and said, "I… I would like to thank you… and apologize. I'm sorry, it was unfair for you to be assigned another lap."

Adam stared back at him for a moment, but did not immediately respond. He turned his gaze once again outside, and looked towards the sky. The three ate in silence for a short while, the only sound breaking the silence was the rustling of leaves outside the window. The room was empty, save for them.

"I only helped you because we would have been forced to run the lap again if you failed. I didn't do it for your benefit," Adam said hollowly.

Leon sighed, but looked relieved to have received any answer at all. He rose from his chair, and looked as if he would have said something else, but sighed walked away and out the door. The girl sitting across from Adam looked up from her food.

"You didn't need to be so… harsh," she said distantly.

"It was the truth."

The girl looked disappointed, and in a way sad. A grey cloud had passed over the sun, and for a moment the warm light stopped pouring in from the window.

"You… you were there, weren't you. In Shiganshina," she said, looking down at her food. She spoke softly, as if she was afraid her words would shatter Adam as if he was made of ice. Her dark brown hair covered her face. Adam put down his bread, and they once again sat in silence.

"How did you know."

"You can see it. In… in their eyes. In your eyes. You can see the difference. Like they haven't been able to sleep, like they are just shuffling forward. Just, empty. Hollowed, from something so terrible"

Adam began to wish for the sun to return from behind the grey clouds. He replied, his voice shaky,"It was the first attack… Nobody… Nobody expected it. So many lives were lost."

"Did you lose anyone?" she asked.

Adam sat in silence, and stared out the window. The sun was still blocked away, hidden behind the clouds. The sky seemed so empty without it, its light blue color replaced with an icy window faced towards the forest, and a slight breeze pushed through it.

"I-I'm sorry… That was rude of me to-."

"No. No, I didn't lose anybody."

The girl looked up at Adam, and brushed away her dark brown hair. Her intense green eyes met his, and he could see sorrow in them. She rose out of her chair.

She rose up out of her chair, and looked down on Adam. "We should get going. Training for the maneuvering gear starts soon, and we can't be late."

"I'll wait a bit," Adam said, his eyes fixated towards the forest through the window.

The girl walked to the door and opened it. It created a familiar creaking noise as it brushed up against a loose floorboard. The sun once again began casting light through the blue sky, and shone brilliantly through the doorway. She walked halfway out, and then stopped. Looking over her shoulder, she asked Adam a question.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

Adam looked at her, and for the first time noticed her tired eyes. They were a vibrant green, Adam could see the reflection of sunlight against them, but looked as if they had seen too much. Despite the green irises, they were in a way blue.

"No."

As Adam sat alone at the table, he stared outside. There was something strange about the forest. In a moment it would be so still, as if it were made of ice. Yet, in the next it would shift and move, full of life. All the flora seemed to be in motion every time the wind pushed through. The branches of the trees swayed, the viridescent leaves perilously clinging on. Near the roots of these trees were three motionless crimson flowers, the wind blocked by the wall created by the dark brown trunk of the great trees. What Adam noticed most of all was the vibrant green leaves that reflected the sunlight near the top of the trees. They were so beautiful, silhouetted against the blue sky.

The hiss of the small mechanics broke through the air, and the hooks flew forward, digging deep into the oak. Gas escaped from the back of the maneuvering gear, and the instructor flew forward. She landed on a branch of the tree, her feet firmly planted. The trainees nervously looked on. Despite his hours of practice, Adam still felt better on the ground than in the sky. Adam preferred the loud blast of cannon fire coupled with the smell of gunpowder to a flight through the trees in the forest any day. He glanced at the others. Leon appeared to be listening attentively, and the green eyed girl seemed to be staring off into the forest.

"Today will be an assessment of the skills you have developed. Each of you will be split into teams of three. Each team will be graded based on the accuracy of their strikes, depth of the cuts, and speed of the trial. In the woods behind me are six targets: three at five meters, two at ten meters, and one at fifteen meters. In the field, you would be encountering the enemy at heights far more than this."

The Officer stood tall, shouting the directions to the recruits. Every so often he would stare at one of the more nervous looking trainees, and seemed to enjoy doing so. Every session was like this. The Officer would shout an order or direction, and the red-haired instructor would demonstrate it. The instructor herself was a student, but seemed to have a natural talent for using the maneuvering gear. She was the type that would be given a role in the Military Police.

"Each target has a red colored strike zone at the nape of the neck. Each team will be required to make three strikes on each of the zones for each target, one mark for each trainee. Failure to do this will result in a loss of points. Any points lost will be met with extra maneuvering gear drills tonight, while the rest of the trainees eat dinner."

"Each strike will be measured, meaning teams will be given points based on the depth of the strike, and the closeness to the center of the red strike zone. Any cuts made outside the strike zone will be considered a miss."

The Officer motioned towards the instructor in the tree. She swooped down from the branch, and flew towards a large target a little ways into the forest. It was about five meters tall, made of wood, and shaped like one of those horrible creatures. At the base of its neck was a red painted circular section. The instructor flew towards it, her hooks pulling her faster towards the target as they dug into branch and bark. As she passed the target, she pulled a blade from the sheath that was connected to the gear. She brought the blade through the red portion, creating a clean slice straight through it. A chip of wood flew into the air, and was lost in the leaves below.

"Now, your teams have been prepared for you already. Each group will be announced before entering the course."

The Officer looked onward towards the group, his eyes fixated on Leon. They seemed to light up for a moment.

"Well, I believe the first team was created this morning. You three," the Officer rumbled as he pointed towards Leon and his fellow runners, "Your group will be tested in the course first."

The Officer stood tall, cleared his throat, and yelled in an official and booming voice, "Team A! Leon Kiefer! Adam Kerner! Clara Maurer!"


	3. Chapter 3

_As he gazed onward towards the sky, he saw the sun. It was proud, gleaming golden yellow. Its rays seemed to warm everything: the grey stones of the wall, the crimson flower in his hands, the green leaves in the distance. Even the sky around the yellow sun seemed to be a bit brighter, its cool blue shade lightened. For a moment he wanted nothing more than to avoid its warmth._

"_Hey, you have been up here a while. The others are looking for you," he heard the green girl say behind him. _

* * *

They sped through the forest, avoiding each leaf-clad pillar. The trees were dense, but not too close to pass through with some finesse. They had be careful, as the leaves of the great trees blocked out much of the sunlight. The forest floor itself was cloaked in shade and shadow. But, the steady sound of hooks sinking into the bark of the trees gave Adam some confidence. He kept his gazed trained forward, at the back of Clara's jacket. He heard the steady sound of Leon's maneuvering gear close behind, and did his best to maintain focus.

The unnatural feeling of flying amongst the trees was something that Adam had been forced to become familiar with. However, he never became fully comfortable with it. Sailing so far above the ground was dangerous, and Adam had witnessed recruits falling to great injury during the early days of their training. By now, most of the recruits had the basic ability to traverse amongst the trees. For the most part, Adam could handle himself, but he was never the strongest at maneuvering.

Clara took a sharp turn, gracefully swinging around a tree and in between branches, like a jade leaf in the wind. She had sighted a target, and Adam followed.

"Target ahead!" Clara yelled, as a grotesque ten meter shape appeared in the distance. This was the second of this height, and Adam forced any other thoughts of failure out of his mind. While he had successfully cut all of the five meter targets, cutting one so deep that the red circular section had been cleaved in two, he had nearly missed the first ten meter target. A single miss by any of them would result in the punishment of them all.

As they came upon the target, Clara drew back her blade and sliced through the section. She maintained her speed and momentum, and continued on, glancing back curiously to see how well Adam would fare.

As the target grew closer, Adam pulled a blade from the heavy metal sheath. He brought his arm back, and sliced at the wooden target. Adam almost lost his balance as his blade passed through the target, but the cut was close to the center. As he once again turned his eyes back towards the leader in front of him, he thought he saw Clara smile, but she herself turned forward. Adam heard the sound of splintering wood behind him as the third member of the team slashed through the target.

As he soared on towards the next target, Adam felt oddly at peace. The feel of the wind rushing by was freeing. He was still afraid, but he felt strangely safe. Adam looked downward, toward the forest floor. The ground rushed passed him, and he felt suspended in the air as the world rushed by. On the forest floor he spotted a small cluster of flowers huddling around a pillar of light that broke through the forest canopy. Adam returned his gaze forward, and once again brought himself to focus. He felt like he hadn't in a long time.

"Final target ahead!" the girl said, speeding towards it.

The third target was fifteen meters tall, and the recruits adjusted their heights, climbing further into the trees as they sped into between branches. Each sound of the hooks digging into the bark of the trees reassured Adam, as he trained his eyes on target. This one was different, shaped in a strange and twisted pose. It was hunched over, the red target zone clearly at the nape of its neck visible. However, Adam couldn't focus on this. At first he could only see the targets face. Its mouth was open, as if it were devouring something.

Clara shot forward, speeding past the target. The only sign that she had hit the target was the sound of the blade passing through the wood that echoed through the forest.

Adam followed, preparing the next blade from the metal sheath on his hip. The target was fast approaching, and Adam drew back his blade to strike. Adam couldn't look away from its mouth. It was a simple wooden target, barely a silhouette of the real thing, but its mouth mocked him, forced into an unnatural smile. He swung forward towards the red strike zone.

Adam felt a shock on his arms, and saw that he had missed the painted area. He had made the cut at an angle, and the fine metal blade bent and twisted. It broke from the hilt, the sharp edge flying backward, and catching Adams leg. He felt a sharp shard cut through his back leg, and lost his balance. Adam fell forward, his uninjured leg catching on the target, sending him downward toward the dark forest floor. He heard a shout, but he himself couldn't scream. As he fell, his injured leg felt warm as blood began to pour from the open wound. As Adam saw the ground falling to him, the branches of the trees sinking beneath his vision, he didn't feel the fear he had felt when he had stared downward from amongst the branches of the trees, or when he had seen other recruits fall, screaming as they grew closer to the ground. The dark forest floor seemed to almost envelope him.

Adam came to an abrupt stop, his leg seemed to almost tear itself from his body. He felt a metal cord wrap around his leg, and it felt cold against the warm blood. Adam's eyes followed the cord back into the branches, where Leon stood, braced against the tree to catch the weight of Adam. The blood from his leg caused the cord to slip, and Adam fell the few remaining feet to the ground with a _thunk_.

He pulled himself up, and tore back the tattered cloth on the back of his leg. The cut had bled a crimson red, and the pain was unbearable, but Adam could still move. Adam couldn't place too much weight on his injured right leg, but could maintain his balance. He looked upward at Leon, and gave a nod. Leon looked relieved, but then swung down and around the tree. He flew towards the target, a blur against the trees. He was lightning as he passed by the target, and he drew back both arms. Each blade made a distinct cut, and with Clara's, the fifteen meter target had three cuts through the strike zone.

Adam pulled himself up, and his own cords pulled him into the air. His right leg shot with pain with every small motion, but he could still maneuver if he stayed slow enough. He saw the light ahead as the patch of woods ended, and followed Leon out of the forest.

The Officer hadn't questioned Adam's leg, but it was apparent when they had returned to the group. His leather boots had begun to also soak with blood, and Adam began to feel as if the warm sun would put him to sleep. His teammates quickly brought him to the infirmary, where they bandaged his leg.

The infirmary itself was a small building, only meant for minor injuries. If a recruit suffered anything that would inhibit their ability to work or fight permanently, they were no longer useful. However, the injury wasn't this dire: he could still walk and even use the maneuvering gear with some difficulty, but he wouldn't be able to place too much weight on the leg without feeling a shooting pain. The shard of metal had cut into some muscle, and the cord had crushed a little too tightly around his leg. Leon had seemed to feel responsible when they learned this, but Adam assured him that he preferred the damage of the metal cord to the damage the ground would have brought him.

There had been no other drills for the day other than the test, save for the extra drills given by those who failed, and Adam was glad to hear that Team A had scored well. They hadn't missed a single cut, at least officially. and their strikes were accurate enough. Each team was to be permanent for the time being, to promote teamwork amongst the recruits. They would be assessed as a group, and penalized for each other's mistakes. Eachd day Leon or Clara would come in and update him on how the team was doing. They were undoubtedly having to work twice as hard to make up for the lost points for Adam's absence, but they assured him that he didn't have to worry. After a week in in the infirmary, Adam was permitted to leave with white bandages wrapped around his leg around dinner time. He wouldn't have to participate in the most demanding drills for the next couple days, but after that he would have to keep up with the others.

Adam walked into the dining hall with a crutch he had been temporarily given. He needed to keep weight off his leg for the next couple days. This time, the dining hall was full of recruits. Many looked sullen and exhausted from the day's drills and assessments, but others looked exhilarated, most likely from their high score. A high score on the assessments proved to the Officers that you were worthy of the honor of Military Police. The Military Police was one of the three different sections of the military. The Military Police, Survey Corps, and Garrison each were individual branches. Most elected to join the Garrison, those who remained in towns and cities to stand guard and man the walls. The Survey Corps were the soldiers who left the town to scout the outside world. Those who joined this branch were the suicidal type, or had fallen into the illusion that throwing your life away might equate to bravery. The Military Police was an honor given to only the top ten graduates in each training group. These soldiers would be brought to the inner and most protected cities, and served as both a police force and a group of elite bodyguards for the politicians in the center.

Adam spotted his team at the same table as earlier in the day. He shuffled towards them, and gave them a nod when they noticed him. Leon and Clara had also been seated by a strange recruit with strange black hair. He spotted Adam and gave a small wave.

Adam sat in his chair and put his crutch on the floor.

"Hey, let me grab you some food," Leon said, staring at the crutch as Adam put it down.

"No, its fine. I can go get it myself."

"The guy at the infirmary said you needed to take it easy. You'll be back out there in two days anyway. If you injure yourself further that would just hurt our team," Leon said, as he stood to go retrieve the rationed food.

The others were almost done eating already. Water, bread and soup. The rations of food were small, but better than what he had received at the refugee camp. Clara gave him a smile as the black haired boy tore into his remaining food, soup spilling onto the table. Adam looked at him incredulously as he tore apart a piece of bread as if he hadn't eaten in years. The boys black hair was an odd shade, almost as if it were instead just a dark grey. His hair was closely cropped, but a few strands of hair fell over his face. In between bites he noticed Adam looking at him, and looked embarrassed for a moment.

"Errr… I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself properly. My name is Jon, Jonathan Stein."

"He has been assigned to our team. They moved him over from another, who claimed he was… incompatible with the existing members," Clara explained, scooting over to avoid the debris of food flying from Jon. Adam gave a sigh, which Jon seemed to notice.

"Don't worry, I can pull my own weight," he assured Adam in between bites, "I always score well on the assessments."

"We did relatively well both yesterday and today. We haven't had any real trouble yet either, and since you're coming back in two days we should be alright," Clara said.

"Yeah… I'm sorry about this," Adam said, gesturing to his leg, "it holds us all-"

"It's fine. There wasn't much you could do, and you'll be better in a few days anyway," Clara said abruptly.

"Don't worry Adam, we're a team," he heard Leon say as he placed bread and soup in front of him. He sat down across from him, brushing Jon's bread crumbs from his chair.

"Anyways, I guess this makes us even now," Leon said jokingly.

"Maybe when I save your life," Adam responded.

Adam gave Leon a nod and stared out the window. It was partially closed, but he could see through the crack the sun outside in the sky. The sun was setting, and Adam could see the sky on the horizon around the sun warming, with a few stars visible in the sky looked so strange at sunset. The warm rays of the sun turned the now dark blue sky into lighter and kinder colors, which reflected off the green trees in the distance. It reminded Adam of a time long ago when he used to stare up at the sky when the sun was setting, after a long day of picking flowers and roses. He moved his gaze down towards his soup.

"What kind is this?"

"Potato," Jon said.

To the confusion of his teammates, Adam couldn't help but to smile.

* * *

The soldier was trembling. The steady sound of the horse's pounding hooves on the dirt was drowned out by the beating of his own heart. It was nighttime, and the light from the stars and moon only created shadows. He could hear their hulking bodies growing closer. He had to reach the others in time. His scouting partner was close.

The trees in this forest loomed upwards into the sky like colossal giants, providing shelter and protection. The Survey Corps preferred to stay close to these trees, as they provided excellent targets for their maneuvering gear. They were little use to him now.

Those things were growing closer, gaining on his horse with every moment. Every pounding beat of his heart was met by a heavy footfall behind him. He had run out of gas speeding to his horse, so he couldn't fight back. He wouldn't have a chance on foot. The loss of his gas also meant he couldn't abandon the ground and ascend into the trees, to hide and wait until morning. All he could do was run, rely on his horse to take him away from them.

The giant wooden pillars slowly broke into smaller trees and vegetation, the edge of the forest was close. He could see the open field ahead. In the opening, he wouldn't be able to use his gear, but his horse should be able to outrun them without all the twists and turns around the paths. His partner was waiting outside near the edge of the trees. She would be able to protect him, help him get away from them. They were so close now, he could hear them right behind him, their inhuman forms shuffling towards him.

His horse had stuck to the dirt path that had been built through the forest, but now broke from it to run straight for the clearing. The trembling soldier leaned low on the horse, to avoid the branches of the smaller trees and plants that reached out for him. He could see moonlight just ahead. He could see an escape from this nightmare.

He felt a wooden branch claw at him, and instinctively brought his arm to his shoulder. His winged emblem had been ripped from his jacket, and an open wound replaced it. The branch had cut deep, and he grimaced at the pain. The light of the open field ahead was so close.

He heard the sound of gas screech through the air, and hooks dig into trees. He looked upward, and screamed a cry for help. As his eyes search the trees, he felt his body lurch forward, and he felt himself fall.

He was crushed onto the dirt. The pain in his arm was nothing now, he had tried to break his fall with his wrist. He screamed, holding hand to his chest. His head ringed, and he felt the warmth of blood flow down from his face. His vision was blurry, only smudges and shadows. He thought he could make out the broken form of his horse, crushed by an inhuman shadow. It reached for him, and lifted him into the air.

As he ascended, he saw a girl watching him. She stood in a patch of moonlight, next to one of the last colossal trees on the edge of the forest, and seemed to be as still as the forest around her.

"Help," the soldier said, through coughs. The crushing hand was tightening, and he felt pressure on his chest. "You have to help me- get the rest of the squad… So I can warn the others. Th...There are so many. Moving… moving in droves. They are going straight for Wall Rose, straight for Tro-"

The soldier screamed as giant teeth crushed through his ribs.


	4. Chapter 4

_The blue soldier trembled. The breeze was becoming too much. The wind was never something he could control. It would gently blow, chilling all in its path. Even he felt cold. The warm rays of the blond sun were no longer strong enough to pull through the relentless breeze. The blue eyed boy wanted to look up towards the sky, and ignore the inevitability. But he saw the green eyed girl quiver in the gust, like the gentle red rose petals that held desperately onto their green stem. The chilled soldier knew he could not let anything else fly away._

* * *

Jon drove his fist into Adam's stomach, pushing his body weight forward. The grey-haired Jon stood like a rock wall, his feet planted firmly. Adam pushed back, gritting his teeth, and raised his arm to strike Jon. The blow met square in Jon's face, breaking his guard. He fell backwards, but maintained his balance. Jon smiled.

The smiling combatant lunged forward, driving his knee into Adam's chest. Adam balance was lost, and his weight fell back onto his right leg. Pain shot like broken glass, and Adam fell to the ground.

"Now that was a dirty trick," exclaimed Clara, who was watching the sparring match from the sidelines. Clara had been there to cry out every time one of them took a particularly nasty blow. She seemed exhausted from the day's exercises, but was still intent on finding the result of the match between Jon and Adam.

"Well, I suppose there are no real rules against it," Leon mentioned as he then jumped to the side as a recruit was beaten into the ground by his teammate, "though, there aren't really any rules at all."

Jon grinned and put his arms up in triumph. He seemed to gloat after every match, his physical fighting skills did seem to be superior to anyone who matched him.

"Guess I win again! Don't worry though. You're really not bad for a cripple, and I don't go easy," Jon said with a grin. He then extended his arm towards Adam, and pulled him to his feet.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Adam said as he smiled through his immense pain. Leon seemed to notice the discomfort hidden in Adam's face, and went to get Adam some water before he could deny the help. John and clara followed Leon to the sidelines to avoid the few remaining fighters.

The training exercises were getting more and more intense. This morning, the instructor simply brought them to the training field and told them to spar with each other. When asked the rules by a recruit, he seemed to hold back a grin as he simply walked away with his arms tucked tightly behind his back.

But, with these intensive exercises, they were all getting stronger. They had been working day after day, week after week, preparing for the day they would be called to defend mankind. Those who could not keep up had been lost to the stresses of the training, and were ordered to return to the pitiful state they had been in before enlisting. Many trainees had even died, falling from great heights or succumbing to the constant exhaustion. More had even been removed from the military, wounds both mental and physical had kept them from being a viable soldier.

Adam had kept careful care to not show the pain of his leg. In truth, it still posed an obstacle, but he had become more accustomed to it. The pain only truly happened when it was under great stress, so Adam had worked to keeping his weight off it in dangerous circumstances. It was supposed to heal even further with time, although there would always be a certain degree of damage.

Adam's leg did not stand in the way of his physical abilities. He was able to keep up with the others, and had even that day bested both Leon and Clara, as well as some recruits from the other groups. Points were not being recorded, but many still seemed to have something to prove. Those types often challenged Adam, because many knew of his previous injury and felt that this would be a significant enough advantage. Any amount of victory was often thought to be enough to garner at least some sort of respect from the fellow trainees. Those who saw Adam as an easy way to this status were most often wrong, and they wouldn't realize so until they met the dirt with a great amount of force.

Those who didn't challenge Adam went after Jon, at least early in the day. He wasn't the largest soldier-in-training there, in fact, he seemed thin and scrawny. His appearance gave many the courage and bravado needed to brawl. But, it turned out his massive appetite all went to his muscle, which was concealed beneath his uniform. Jon was fast as he was strong, and sent every single challenger flying away, both on their feet and through the air. He was like a stone wall, and stood up to every competitor that challenged him with great enthusiasm. By the end of the day, no one seemed to have any sort of false courage when Jon stood in front of them.

"Hah! Nobody in our entire unit, no -all of mankind- can knock me down!" Jon laughed as he stood in the middle of the field, his feet planted firmly. He taunted all the other recruits on the field, who kept a cautious distance from him. It seemed to Adam that he truly couldn't be knocked down by any human.

"C'mon! Someone has to be strong enough here! What happened to all the challengers? You all tired alr-"

Jon was knocked sideways as a red-haired combatant flew in from his flank. He maintained his balance, standing on his feet, but before he could even register the need for a defensive stance he was met with a second strike, and then a third. Jonathan Stein was knocked back again and again, by his lightning fast opponent. He threw his own fist outward in response, but met nothing but air. This retaliation was a mistake. The missed attack left him even more open, and the only thing he could think of after his realization that he had hit nothing but air was that the dirt smelled of sweat.

Jon had been crumbled to the ground by the red haired girl. She was the same one that had demonstrated the maneuvering gear the day Adam received his injury. This girl was truly talented, and had brought down the long standing Jonathan Stein in a matter of seconds. She didn't even break a sweat, and after dropping poor Jon, she walked away without a word.

Clara and Leon ran over to Jon, and Adam followed as best he could, still in a bit of pain. Jon was facedown on the ground, and covered in it. He had hit the floor so hard that it was kicked up, and he was covered in the gritty training field dirt.

"Wh… wha the hell jus happen' to me," Jon groaned as Leon pulled him up.

"You just got your ass handed to you by that instructor girl," Adam laughed.

Jon looked at him in confusion for a moment, then the events of the last 20 seconds finally registered.

"I thought you were the strongest person here," Clara teased.

"Well… I am," Jon grumbled.

"Alright, I think it's time we all head back to camp, and get some rest for today," Leon said.

Most of the recruits, primarily those that had been frustrated with fighting their fellow military trainees, had already left for dinner about a half an hour ago. The four trainees seemed to miss dinner more often than not, so they hurried back to camp.

Their injured friend had already recovered enough of his pride to begin digging into what was left for them back in the dining hall. He sat at the end of the table, a strategy the others had come up with to avoid the projectiles generated by his violent eating habits. They still sat at the same open table, with a clear view of the outside through the open window.

"Taste better than the dirt I assume," Leon laughed as Jon dug in. They all had received their daily rations, but Jon was definitely the most energetic about his eating habits, even as beaten and battered as he was. It wasn't that the others were not hungry, but bread and beet soup could only be enjoyed so many times consecutively. The next food shipment would not arrive for a few more days.

"You bet," Jon said between bites, "can't believe I lost to her."

"You really can't?" Adam asked.

"Well… I guess she's one of those elite people that stay away from most of the group. I didn't even see her when she hit me."

"I didn't see her at all that day," Clara said.

"I don't remember her sparring with anyone else, I didn't even see her until she made that first strike against you, Jon," Leon said as a breeze from the open window swept by him. As he closed the buttons on his military jacket, he knocked over his own bowl of soup. It left a bright red mark on his tan jacket, and he took out his handkerchief a vain attempt to remove the stain.

Adam had noticed the same thing about the red haired girl. She often wasn't there for the duration of the entire drill or exercise, but when she showed up, she certainly made an impact. It was clear she was cut out for Military Police, and was being groomed for it. Adam wasn't even sure if she was assigned to a training group, or even slept in the barracks with the rest of them.

"Hey, maybe she's off training by herself or something while the rest of us mess around with those stupid drills," Jon said.

"Must be sad being by yourself all the time," Clara said, glancing over at Adam.

"I think she chooses to be alone. She doesn't seem bothered by it at least," he replied.

"Maybe next time she'll stick around after stomping on me and show me a move or two if I ask her."

"She won't even want to touch you again if you've still got all that food on your face," Leon joked as he handed Jon a handkerchief. Adam and Clara laughed, as their food covered companion gave an embarrassed smile.

It was strange. Adam realized he hadn't laughed in a long time. It felt alien and unfamiliar, and almost irreverent. He felt guilty in a way, like he didn't have the right. But the smiles of his companions swept this feeling away, and he felt the warm rays of the setting sun pour through the window. He allowed the smile to remain on his face.

Leon had seated himself in front of the window, and the light seemed radiate from him. Leon always seemed to cheer the group up, and was almost always a positive voice in the forest of despondency they faced. He was there to hold them up when they fell down. Over the weeks Adam came to appreciate and even admire him in many ways. He could do what Adam could not.

They laughed and joked through the remainder of the meal. They talked of training, the food, the other groups of recruits. They talked of points and the Military Police, of the the branches they might join. They talked more of the red-haired girl, although Jon seemed soured to the topic. They talked until their food was cold and nearly gone, and the sun was almost completely gone behind the seemingly tiny wall on the horizon.

As they finished their meal, a recruit that served as the Officer's assistant walked in. He had a look of concern on his face, and addressed the entirety of the mess hall.

"Strange. We aren't due to report to the barracks until sundown," Clara whispered.

"It seems like something else. Like some sort of announcement," replied Adam.

"ATTENTION! We are all to report to the training field at once! Any who are not in attendance will face the harshest disciplinary consequence. You have 15 minutes to report."

Murmurs of concern traveled through the dining hall. The military thrived on discipline. The harshest punishment was not removal from the unit, but something even more dire. It could even mean execution in some cases. The friendly mood of the dining hall changed as the shouting recruit fidgeted nervously, moving toward the door.

"What could this be about?" Leon said, looking at Adam.

The beams of light that had enveloped him were dimming. Through the window, above the jade trees and the dark grey wall on the horizon, the sun was setting. The cool blue shade of sky that had become warmer with the sunset was darkening, and night was approaching fast. The last few rays of light left their warm touch on Adam and the group, and they were left in the dark. The breeze pushed through the window as a replacement. They all felt chilled by the relentless wind. It was beginning to pick up, and it would be a harsh night. Leon shivered through his jacket, his blond hair darkening in the shadows. The red mark on his jacket appeared crimson in the new shadows of the night.

"Hey-do you have any other info on what's going on?" Jon shouted at the trembling recruit who was rushing out the door. He turned around, and delivered a final message to all those in the mess hall.

"The Trost district is under attack. We are to report immediately to reinforce the vanguard, who have suffered heavy casualties."

The wind began to howl, no longer a breeze.


End file.
